Josh Gordon Signs With Chiefs After Reinstatement

The Kansas City Chiefs offense will be adding a new face to the fold. Veteran wide receiver Josh Gordon is planning to sign with the team. According to both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he will begin things on Kansas City’s practice squad. A call up to the active roster will take place once he is up to speed with the Chiefs playbook.

It was obvious that this team needed to make an addition at the wide receiver position. The depth behind Tyreek Hill was not reliable, and we saw evidence of that throughout the first few weeks of the 2021 season.

General manager Brett Veach attempted to bring in names like JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason. But, the Chiefs left those attempts empty handed. Will Josh Gordon completely fix all of their issues at the position? Possibly. We do not know for sure. Though, Kansas City is not sitting quietly without attempting to fix a problem on the offense.

What could fans expect from Gordon at this point in his career? How will the team go about utilizing him? Finally, is this an attempt at a short term fix or a long term fix? Let’s answer all of those questions, while also diving into Gordon’s career resume.

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Career Resume

Cleveland Rocks

A product of the Baylor Bears, Josh Gordon was taken in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft by the Cleveland Browns in 2012. His rookie numbers were impressive, given the uneven quarterback play of Brandon Weeden. Gordon finished with 50 receptions, 805 receiving yards, 16.1 yards per reception and five receiving touchdowns that year.

It was quite the glow up for him in 2013. His insane amount of receiving yards (1,646) led the league for that season. And he did that in just 14 games, generating an amazing 117.6 receiving yards per game. He followed a 237 yard receiving performance with a 261 yard receiving game late in 2013. This marked the first time in NFL history that a wide receiver had back to back regular season games with at least 200 receiving yards.

The 2014 season saw Josh Gordon play in just five games. Due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, his production was lessened and the Browns missed him dearly. More substance abuse policy violations and failed drug tests led to more suspensions from the NFL. Gordon missed all of the 2015 and 2016 seasons because of year long suspensions.

His return would come in 2017. However, the NFL waited to reinstate him until late in the year. Over the course of 2017 and 2018, Gordon appeared in just six games for Cleveland. They parted ways with him for various reasons, including what was reported as “violating the team’s trust.”

The Patriot Way

The Browns finally traded Josh Gordon after that report. He was shipped to the New England Patriots, where the receiver would join the dominant duo of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Gordon’s first touchdown catch with New England was a historic one, as it was Brady’s 500th NFL touchdown pass.

After playing 11 games for the Patriots, Gordon announced in mid-December that he would be stepping away in order to focus on mental health. He was again suspended shortly after. The NFL announced that it was because of a violation under the terms of his reinstatement. Without Gordon, the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. The team still presented him with a Super Bowl ring for his contributions earlier in the season.

His 2019 campaign began with six games played for the Patriots. A knee injury in October of that year forced him to be placed on injured reserve. Just eight days after that move, New England waived him from injured reserve, allowing Gordon to hit the open market.

Pacific Northwest

The Seattle Seahawks claimed Gordon off of waivers. He would appear in five games for them before being suspended once again. This would be his fifth suspension for violating the terms of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Because of this suspension, Josh would not end up playing at all during the 2020 season.

What Can Chiefs Expect From Josh Gordon?

The 30 year old wide receiver will need time to acclimate both physically on the field and mentally with the Kansas City playbook. We have seen certain wide receivers struggle to adjust to Andy Reid’s offense. But, there may be a positive for Gordon. His larger stature and wiry build could serve him well in an attacking style of offense.

As mentioned by the reports, Gordon will first begin on the Chiefs practice squad. The amount of time that it takes for him to be elevated to the active roster remains to be seen. Nonetheless, his skillset could provide more production than what Kansas City has received from wide receivers behind Hill.

His plus size and ability to find soft spots in coverage allow him to make splash plays. Gordon has soft hands, tremendous focus on the football and incredible body control to make the tougher catches look easy. Meanwhile, he has a sneaky good ability of making defenders miss and working up the field for a healthy amount of yards after the catch. His ability to separate and beat man coverage is an element that has led to plenty of success. Even if he is not turning in elite production, Josh Gordon could be a reliable target with a body type unique to that of the current crop of Chiefs wide receivers.

How Will Kansas City Utilize Josh Gordon?

Gordon’s role and usage will be heavily anticipated within the Chiefs offense. We have seen him best cornerbacks and safeties deep throughout the entirety of his NFL career. It would not be surprising to see him be used as a vertical threat down the field. His career yards per reception number (17.2) and yards per target number (9.2) have shown that he can consistently push the field. That has routinely come from an alignment out wide in the offense. Over the course of Gordon’s career, he has lined up out wide at a whopping 87 percent.

We know Coach Reid and Patrick Mahomes like to let routes develop after a long period of time. Gordon has the mix of sound hands and controlled route running needed to play with that patience and get upfield. Manufactured throws over the middle or on over routes could be a staple in store for him as well. It has been a long time since he has played football. Though, Josh Gordon may be as good of a fit as anyone in this particular offense.

Long Term Future In KC?

This is where things get interesting in the reporting of this signing. Schefter says that Gordon received interest from multiple teams around the league. However, one of the attractions of playing for Kansas City was because this receiver views this as a potential long term stop.

Let’s be honest, projecting the Chiefs wide receiver room for 2022 is anyone’s guess currently. Demarcus Robinson is only signed through this year. The same goes for Byron Pringle, Marcus Kemp and Daurice Fountain. Wide receiver may be a need for this team in both free agency and the draft come next spring.

Counting on Josh Gordon for the long term is a massive question mark. Though, the league has cut down on what they suspend players for under the league substance abuse policy. Possibly his past violations were due to an item that the league has not been as serious about lately.

Meanwhile, this Chiefs locker room has been historically loose and positive under Coach Reid. The winning pedigree is obviously there. Leadership and encouragement amongst the players is there. If Gordon can become comfortable and produce, maybe this will be a multiyear pact.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.